Process of treating fuel oils



Patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT H. ACKEBEAN,OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CATALYTIC CHEMICA IL COMPANY, 01DENVER, COLORADO, A CORPORATION OF COLORADO The petroleum coke remainsafter all the.

PROCESS OF TREATING FUEL OILS ll'o Drawing. Original application filedDecember 14, 1825, Serial No. 75,472. Divided and this application filedFebruary 16, 1927, Serial No. 168,821. Renewed December 8, 1928.

creasing the calorific value of fuel oils by causing the said oils totake up or dissolve certain quantities of petroleum coke.

Petroleum coke is a solid, black, more or less pitchy residue which isordinarily pro duced in petroleum cracking stills and' in similaroperations where petroleum products are heated or distilled at a hightemperature.

"olatile materials have been driven off by the heating.

Now I have discovered that by the use of certain chemical reagents; thatwill be described more fully below, *I can cause this petroleum coke todissolve or at least to disperse in fuel oil, so that the resultantmixture will be fluid and can be used in the same way as the untreatedfuel oil, but the mixture will have a higher calorific value due to thescribed a combination of materials which I employ for the treatment ofheavy petroleum residues, for the treatment of cracking still -residum,for treating lubricating stock and in eneral for breakingup cluster ofhydrocar ons contained in heavy mineral oils. This composition consistsof mixtures of anthracene, sulfuric acid, oil of mirbane, sodiumhydroxide, naphthalene in or about the following proportions:

' Per cent 10 lbs. anthracene 4.6 4 lbsfoil of mirbane 0.92 I 2lbshsulfuric acid .i.... 1.82 '1 lb. sodium hydroxide 0.45

200 lbs. naphthalene 92.20

In case pure 85% anthracene is employed I can omit the sulfuric acid,which is used solely for thepurpose of treating the anthracene when the40% commercial grade of this substance is employed, as it appears toincrease the activity of the anthracene.

In making the aforesaid composition I proupon, I add the oil of mirbaneand then the sodium hydroxide, and grind the resultant pasty mixture.Most of the sulfuric acid will be neutralized by this treatment. Themixture is'then allowed to stand for about one hour. This mixture isthen added to the naphthalene and the whole material thoroughly ground,preferably in a ball mill, until the mass is uniform. The mixture isthen packed in airtight containers for shipment and use. I

The petroleum coke is incorporated with fuel oil by the aid of myaforesaid composition. I have found that by grinding up pctroleum cokeand adding to it a reasonable amount (say from 10-15% by weight) of mycomposition of materials and grind further, that-the resultant mixtureof coke and chemicals will dissolve to quite a considerable extent incommon fuel oil and that the coke will likewise be dissolved so that thethermal efficiency of the fuel oil will be increased by from thirty tothirty-five percent in heat energy as measured in calories or Britishthermal units. I am not aware that such treatment of .petroleum' cokehas ever been considered before.

The fuel oil may be of the kinds common-.

ly used, and the incorporation of the coke, chemicals and oil may becarried out in any suitable type of mixing tank, preferably one havingsome means for agitating the con- 1 tents of the tank.

What I claim is: 1. The process oftreating fuel oil to increase theefficiency thereof which comprises comminuting petroleum coke wlth acomposition of materials comprising naphthalene, anthracene, oil ofmirbane, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide, and adding the same to thefuel oil andagitating the fuel oil. I

2. The process of treating fuel oil which with arising naphulia. a13116, ant-nacene and on mirbane, and thence adding he CO3flCll1Z8d cokeandcomposition of materials to the fuel oil.

3. A process for incorporating petroleum coke with fuel oil comprisinggrinding said coke with a mixture of anthracene, naphthalene, oil ofmirbane and sodium hydroxide, adding the resultant mixture to fuel oiland agitating the fuel oil to cause the admixed material to dissolve.

4. The process for incorporating petroleum coke with fuel oil whichcomprises grinding a major portion of petroleum coke with a minorportion of a composition of materials comprising substantially 10 partsanthracene, 4 parts oil of mirbane, 2 parts sulfuric acid, 1 part sodiumhydroxide and 200 parts naphthalene, adding the resultant mixmm to fueloil, and agitating the fuel oil to cause the admixed material todissolve therein. v

The process for incorporating petroleum cokewith fuel oil whichcomprises grinding a major portion of petroleum coke with a minorportion of a composition of materials constituting the reaction productresulting from the admixture of substantially 10 parts of anthracene 4parts oil of mirbane, 2 parts sulfuric aci 1 part sodium hydroxideand200 parts na hthalene, adding the resultant mixture to tiie fuel oil andagitating the same to cause the admixed material to dissolve therein.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT H. ACKERMAN.

